And then there were two.

I want to start off by thanking all my lovely Champlainers for the advice on how to tackle this Capstone monster. I've been thinking a lot about the three options that I threw out there, and I've narrowed it down to two fine candidates. More advices and comments are always welcomed, of course.

1) The Screenplay. I was wavering a little bit on this during my last look at Capstone, but since reading everyone's great words, I'm feeling a lot more confident. I could write a screenplay. I could be a screenwriter. No, that's not right. Let's try it with more force. I COULD BE A SCREENWRITER! There. That's much better. Now all I have to do is buy the full version of Final Draft (or marry a rich man who can afford to buy it for me), take Screenwriting II, and write, write, write. Easy. Right?

2) The publication. I was really confident about this one last time around, and now I'm wavering (funny how that works). I could do it, that's the problem. I'm just not sure I could make it like I would want to in a semester. If I'm going to do it, I want to do it in a big way, and I'm afraid I would have to hold myself back a little bit because I would also be taking four or five other classes in addition to making it. I know I would procrastinate. I know I would put it off. A project like this deserves tender love and care, and the most I could give it would be the occasional smile and pat on the back. So, it may go on the back-burner.

Basically, I have not come to a final decision. Help!

I'm not as much of a movie buff as I thought.

Due to a certain boy, I have been watching a lot of movies lately. I always thought I had seen a lot of movies. Wrong. Wrong. Wrong. This boy has seen A LOT of movies and he (mostly thankfully) has made it his mission to overload me with film. Let's review:

A Clockwork Orange - My favorite book of all time. I was scared to watch the movie because I knew it couldn't live up to the book. I was not wrong. I thought it was okay. I'm certain that I would have really enjoyed it had I not read the book beforehand, but I had such high expectations going into it that it was impossible to not have been disappointed. Maybe I'll try to watch it again sometime since I know now not to expect too much.

Y tu Mama Tambien - This is not one I want to linger on for too long. I am still trying to forget that I watched it. Let's just say that this is not a first date movie, and I learned that the hard way. Why, you may ask. There is a lot of graphic sex, which is fine if you're expecting it, but I was not and I found it a little off-putting to be honest.

True Romance - I have a soft spot for Quentin Tarantino. I had never seen this little gem and it's hooky, but I rather enjoyed it. What can be better than falling in love with a call girl and killing a bunch of people? That's right, nothing.

The Ten - I loved this, but I suspect that I stand alone. It was funny and weird. And very, very silly. I appreciate a little bit of silly every once and awhile, and although this did take the silliness a little bit over the top once and awhile, I was okay with it.

Blow - We only got through the first hour or so because there was something wrong with the audio, and I fell asleep during part of that hour, so I've got to give this one another look. We didn't even see Penelope Cruz, so I've got to return to this.

I know that there must be more than we've watched, but they must not have been very memorable. And there is a growing list of movies that we still need to watch, which include but are not limited to: Trainspotting, Reservoir Dogs, Boondock Saints, The Rules of the Game, Jackie Brown, and Inglorious Basterds. Stay tuned, I have more to critique soon.

The Game Plan.

Since setting foot onto Champlain campus almost three years ago, (wow, has it really been that long?) it seems like every assignment and class is a result of the teachers sitting around a table saying, "That seems like it could work. Let's try it!" My class, the class of 2011 that is, is lucky enough have been the guinea pigs for a thing called Core, which was met with many mixed reviews from my fellow classmates (but that is another topic all together, saved for another time). For now, it leads me into my discussion of what I want to do for the Capstone, yet another new Champlain creation set for the upcoming year.

Here's the thing, though. The Capstone Project isn't creating a self-portrait (Concepts of the Self, freshman year). It isn't creating a new amendment to the Constitution (Capitalism & Democracy). It isn't creating an altar to something (The Secular & The Sacred). It's a project of my own design. If I fail, it's on me. If I succeed, it's because of my own doing. Welcome to senior year, folks.

So what do I want do for an entire semester? Let's brainstorm.

1) Recently, I've been really interested in the environment. I've been investigating Greenpeace as an option for after graduation. I just wrote a paper on the effects that climate change is having on Antarctica (for yet another Core class) and it was something that I got really into. It's an important topic to inform people about and I can't say that about a lot of topics that I've written papers on. I'm not entirely sure that this is right for the Capstone Project, though. I'm a writing major. Shouldn't I be a little more creative with my final project than to write a standard thesis paper? I feel like I should be doing something that's more writing and less research. But then I see the footage of the polar bears drowning and I know in my heart that I won't think of a more important topic to dedicate myself to.

2) I'm taking Screenwriting right now and I am loving it. Sitting in that class every Wednesday morning, I think I could write a screenplay in a semester, or at least get a good chunk of one written. Then I come home from the class and I think I'm going crazy. I get bored. I get distracted. I get discouraged. A screenplay is a lot of pages to stay engaged and focused for. But maybe that’s a challenge that I need to have. If I have to write it, if my degree is dependent on writing an entire screenplay, write it I will. And I will give it my soul to not fail. So, that's something to consider.

3) I want to be a publisher. That's the end goal. So why not have an immediate goal to path the walkway for the end result? I could make a publication. I could work with writers to find their raw talent and create a work that is the fruit of my labor if you will. I could polish up my editing skills and give my opinion a workout (because everyone knows I need that). It would be the most work of the three options, I dare say, but great success comes with great failure.

Needless to say, I have a lot to consider. Stay tuned. It's going to be a wild ride as always.

Good morning, Starshine!

Hello world. My name is Trish. I'm a twenty year old girl with a head full of dreams and random movie facts. Before I jump into it, I want to introduce myself properly. My mother always told me that first impressions are everything.

Let me start off by saying that I'm not much a writer. Well, I'm not one for sharing anyway. I have a bunch of stories that I started with a lot gusto that has since faded away and about a million ideas about stories I have yet to start. Sometimes I write a piece that I want to share with the world. Other times, meaning most of the time, I don't, but that's okay with me because I mainly write for myself.

The best inspiration comes to me from dreaming, so I suggest you all do it a lot and keep a dream journal (even though you may feel like you're back in grade school keeping a diary.) Other than that, I jot notes down for stories in the margins of my notebooks when I don't want to pay attention in class and I tell elaborate stories to my friends.

Now that you know the writer I am, I can get to the point.

I'm much more of a reader. I always have been. I read shampoo bottles and ketchup labels. I read recipes that I'll never try to prepare. I even put the closed captions on my TV and read movies. I love reading. It's what I want to do for the rest of my life--just sit out on the beach and read until the end of time.

This is a blog about reading primarily, and writing secondarily. I don't know how much of a reviewer I am, but I plan to find out by starting this little guy and seeing what happens. I figure the worst case scenario is that my computer will spontaneously combust because one of my reviews is so poorly written that the computer can't stand to have it saved onto it, and I honestly wouldn't be that surprised. Those of you who have met me known that all forms of technology are out to get me. That being said, please have your fingers crossed that nothing bad happens to my brand new desktop and I will try to keep my reviews brilliant.

Get ready, World, here I come!